With his high bib number 75, Roman Rees stormed across the track with the seventh fastest time and was able to celebrate the first podium finish of his life despite a penalty loop. After his success, he was completely overwhelmed: "I've had a pretty bad body feeling the last few days and today it was important to get through well and I skied very loosly today and with the mistake I did very well in these conditions. I'm surprised about myself today. I also feel the altitude a little bit, but somehow today I've reached a certain level of fatigue, which I then did not exceed. I had a good shape today, it just went very well, but right one I have no explanation for that effort." Johannes Thingnes Bø was again the big favorite before the race, although he also groaned after the training about the track and the altitude: "I have never skied such a difficult track! After the first lap in training I thought only 'Awesome!', but in the second and third lap things went better." Despite this experience, he started the race at full speed and reduced the speed not before the second lap. "I realized I was fast, and one kilometer before my standing stage, I lined up behind Krcmar (CZE) to slow the pace down a bit. I did not have shaky legs and no big shoting errors. I was just unlucky", said the Norwegian, after he had missed the first four targets in extremely gusty wind and could only shake his head over himself. Thanks to his fastest ski time, he was able to reach fifth place with his four penalties. Quentin Fillon Maillet (FRA, Fischer skis, bindings and boots) finished sixth, tenth place went to Johannes Dale (NOR, Fischer skis, bindings and boots). Philipp Nawrath (GER, Fischer skis, bindings and boots), like his team-mate Roman Rees, surprised in cross-country skiing, so that thanks to the third fastest skiing time, he finished twelfth with two penalties.
